A child’s birthday is one of the most anticipated days of the year. If your son or daughter is like most, as soon as the party is over they are already talking about what they want to do or get for their next birthday—364 days away! I know every parent wants their child’s birthday to be spectacular, and each year, as your child gets older and their wants become greater, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of trying to out do the previous year’s birthday.
Growing up with three siblings, my parents tried their best to make our birthdays special. Each year on our birthday we would arrive home from school and there would be balloons, gifts, and handmade cards around the “Birthday Chair.” The birthday child was directed to sit in this special chair and open up gifts. It was a magical moment for which I waited all year.
On my 10th birthday I received a blue three-speed bike. Aside from that, the only other gift I remember receiving was a small wooden trinket box my mother had polyurethaned with some random magazine pictures and a cool photo of me, along with the birth date inside the box. That was 36 years ago—and I still have my trinket box today.
What children want more than anything on their birthday is to feel like it is their own special day, so celebrate well! Here are 15 ways you can start your own birthday traditions to create some magical moments that your children will remember for years to come.
1. The night before your child’s birthday, decorate the house or their room with balloons, confetti, flowers, or a homemade banner.
2. Wake up your child by singing the Happy Birthday song.
3. Start out the day by making a special birthday breakfast.
4. Pull out some baby pictures or other birthday pictures from the years past and decorate the house with them.
5. Stick a special birthday snack or note in your child’s lunch box.
6. Have lunch with your child at school and bring cupcakes. Okay, they may not like this when they get older, but during the elementary years you and that box of cupcakes will be more popular than Taylor Swift, i-Carly, or BeyBlades!
7. Have your child help make their own birthday cake. It’s more fun for them to decorate the cake and get sugared up on eating the extra batter, frosting, and sprinkles than it is actually eating the cake, regardless of their age.
8. Plan a family outing that you will do each year: a trip to the beach, a picnic in the park, or even a trip to your favorite pizza place.
9. Start a scrapbook each year on your child’s birthday and decorate the cover with a picture that was taken on their birthday.
10. Take a picture each year of your child at the exact time they were born or as soon as they wake up.
11. Let your child pick out all of the meals that day. If they want spaghetti for breakfast or pancakes for dinner—go for it—it’s their day!
12. Give gifts that reflect the same number as your child’s birthday. For example, if your child is five, how about five markers, five coloring books, five lollipops, five pairs of socks, etc.
13. Make something for your child each year. A special pillow, frame, jewelry box, or toy chest. She may not appreciate it now, but in years to come those handmade mementos are going to be the gifts she cherishes.
14. Create a time capsule. Each year on your child’s birthday put a photo of your child, a newspaper, perhaps a drawing your child made, and a note of all that is going on in your lives. File away for the next year or for years to come.
15. The Birthday Chair. Go on ahead, it’s been a tradition in my family for years, and to this day I still get to sit in the birthday chair complete with balloons and handmade cards—and now, so do my lucky kids!
Regardless of your child’s age or interests, birthdays are a special day for them. Even if their birthday falls on a school day or they have extracurricular activities, the key to making them feel special is that you remember the whole day is their birthday—so celebrate and let them enjoy it. By taking some time out to create your own family birthday traditions, you will be giving your child something to look forward to all throughout the year and perhaps for a lifetime.
